Selection of emergency shelter sites for seismic disasters in mountainous regions: Lessons from the 2008 Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake, China

In this paper, we use the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake as a background event for analyzing and applying the principles of site selection of emergency shelters for a disastrous earthquake. Based on field investigations and analyses of remote sensing imagery, we identified the distribution of active faults and the locations of co-seismic surface rupture zones—areas in which buildings are at risk of intensive damage. It is important that emergency shelters are located outside of such vulnerable areas. One of the lessons learned from the Wenchuan Earthquake is that high fatality rates occur in areas without life-saving shelters. The principles that underlie the selection of emergency shelter sites are as follows: (1) keep far away from active fault zones, with the distance depending on the characteristics of the fault, including the nature of hangingwall and footwall structures; (2) disaster-mitigation strategies should be developed as a multi-dimensional system for the management of natural hazards, human activities, and urban expansion, involving keeping away from vulnerable slopes and establishing an early-warning system; (3) the accessibility of mountainous regions must be considered, including establishing small emergency shelters that house large numbers of people and covering regions with an uneven distribution of villages; and (4) government and law-making agencies in China must establish new earthquake design codes for buildings, emphasizing the importance of public facilities (including schools, collective welfare institutions, and medical facilities) as emergency shelters during disastrous earthquakes. The site-selection process requires an interdisciplinary approach involving seismologists, engineers, environmental and social scientists, emergency management personnel, and government officials. The parameters upon which the above principles are based can be qualitatively determined, thereby providing a valuable initial database for further quantitative analysis. The preliminary results and knowledge gained in the present paper can be used as a decision-making tool to support the government in earthquake-recovery and reconstruction programs. We also discuss practical examples of site evaluation in regions that suffered heavy damage during the Wenchuan Earthquake.

Research highlights
► In the site-selection of emergency shelters active fault zones must be avoided.
► Site-selection shall be considered as an integrated disaster mitigation and engineering multi-dimensional system.
► Accessibility and sustainability in local conditions are also control factors as well.